Disclaimer: I am a former Amgen and Novartis Spokesperson. This content reflects my own personal opinions and was not created or reviewed by Amgen and Novartis. I was not paid to write this article.
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, if you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission.
Welcome to Month3! I took my third Aimovig injection last week (August 24, 2018) and I can finally say, with certainty, that this medication has been the best thing to ever happen to me within the last few years.
While I am still considered chronic (15+ migraine attack days per month), I am steadily falling from an attack every day to about 3 to 4 attack days a week. It has been an amazing transition.
If you haven’t kept up-to-date with my progress, I suggest you read Month 1 and Month 2 updates so you get an understanding of how this works. I will not be adding early month’s stats to this post, but I will link to them here and there throughout this article.
Links
Use the links below to jump around! This post encompasses the entire second month with updates posted at the end of each week.
Injection Info
Date of 1st Injection: Thursday, June 28, 2018
Time of Injection: 7:00 pm
Dosage: 140 mg (2 – 70mg Injection Pens)
Injection Site: Left Upper Leg
Date of 2nd Injection: Thursday, July 26, 2018
Time of Injection: 8:30 pm
Dosage: 140 mg (2 – 70mg Injection Pens)
Injection Site: Left Upper Leg
Date of 3rd Injection: Friday, August 24, 2018
Time of Injection: 10:30 am
Dosage: 140 mg (2 – 70mg Injection Pens)
Injection Site: Left Upper Leg, Left Stomach Area
Date of 4th Injection:
Time of Injection: 7:00 pm
Dosage: 140 mg (2 – 70mg Injection Pens)
Injection Site: Left Upper Leg
Week 9 Update (as of 30 August 2018)
Week 9 covers the days between 24 August – 30 August. The week started off well with no attacks nor any side effects after my third shot on the 24th. My pain level averaged out to 4.7 and my average duration was 8 hours and 23 minutes. Monday was a pretty intense day, with a pain level at 7. In total, I rounded out the week with 3 migraine attacks, with two of those on one day and the third only lasting about 30 minutes.
Migraine Attacks
Three attacks ended out the week within two attack days back-to-back. Let’s see what happened!
Attack #1 – My first attack started out strange. I was in no pain, just extremely tired. I woke up on Monday, three days after my third injection, with severe fatigue and a general “ill” feeling. It lasted all day and I just listened to my body and rested. I watched Netflix and slept off and on. I will note that I haven’t been sleeping well during this time. That night, I only
Attack #2 – A little around 2pm on Monday, I began having pretty intense migraine pain. I had a Hemiplegic Migraine at a pain level of 7 that lasted the rest of the day and into bedtime. At this point, I never left my bed and stayed in my dark cave with ice packs and distraction techniques. I did take Ketoralac oral with no relief. I had to sleep it off, basically.
I woke up on Tuesday in no pain and with no migraine hangover. That’s the one thing I LOVE about Aimovig. Since starting the medication I no longer deal with migraine hangover. So an attack day is all I worry about, I don’t have to worry about how long it will take to recuperate. I’m usually completely fine the next day. Before, it would take between 2 days to a week to recover from a full-day migraine attack.
Attack #3 – After waking up with no residual effects of Monday’s attack, I went through my Tuesday in peace. Around 2:30 pm I felt a sudden jolt of pain in my left temple. I also have Primary Stabbing Headache and I knew that is what was happening. So while this attack isn’t a migraine attack, I still counted it because I still needed to take meds to make sure they didn’t continue. I took a Ketoralac oral and fell asleep for a couple hours. I woke up with no pain and no reoccurrence. The pain level for those short few seconds was at a 7. By the time I had taken the pain reliever, they had already stopped, but I didn’t want them coming back.
Side Effects
It seems the side effects of Aimovig are starting to wear away completely. I am no longer have any issues with constipation after the injection. My heart rate seems to have leveled off, though I can’t say for sure that any of my elevated heart rate problems were due to
Week 9 Wrap-Up
I will say this, I have been very accomplished this last week. I finished setting up on my online store, Achy Smile Shop and worked my butt off for hours each day on my computer. I haven’t been able to concentrate, retain new information, and practice what I’ve learned in a REALLY LONG TIME! I’m so happy, but with reservation. I have been through this before, only to be disappointed when my attack frequency ramps back up. So while I am so grateful and excited, I am also biting my fingernails in worry that this is short lasting. In the past, I have gone through times of “remission” for six months to a year where I have only a few attacks and I can work and drive. Then I will be hit with a major hemiplegic migraine attack that takes me months to recuperate from and then daily attacks for a few years. I have accepted this as my life, but right now I am just enjoying the light.
Week 10 Update (as of 06 September 18)
After a relatively mild Week 9, Week 10 proved to be the beginning of a disastrous two weeks. Earlier this week everything seemed pretty calm with only two attacks the first two days of Week 12. It wasn’t until a few days later that my attacks would take a sinister turn, all thanks to Hurricane Florence.
Migraine Attacks
Attack #1 (09/01/18 8:20pm – 9:50pm): After a full day of no pain and the ability to do pretty much anything without restriction, I was hit with a sudden migraine attack after eating at a Mexican restaurant with my family. We joined my sister and her family out on a night of fun, dinner and an evening stroll at Hope Mills Lake. The weather was perfect, and we were all in a good mood. When it was time to leave the restaurant and we were loading up in our cars, I felt a sudden jab in my left temple. It was pretty strong and painful. Another jab hit followed by a mild bout of altered consciousness for a couple minutes. After regaining full consciousness, only a low-grade migraine was left behind. About 20 minutes later, after beginning our walk around the lake and only a few yards into our stroll, my left arm started to hurt and feel swollen. I kept it slightly elevated by keeping my hand in my pocket to avoid it from hanging. That seemed to help some, but not enough. We took a long walk and I did my best to hide how I was feeling. I didn’t want to worry anyone.
Attack #2 (09/02/18 9:35am – 6:30pm): Unfortunately, I did not write any narrative for this hemiplegic migraine attack. I’m not quite sure why, but I am going to assume the cognitive issues had a play in this. This was pretty much a day-long attack at a pain level around 6. I was bed-bound, as noted in my tracker.
Attack #3 (09/05/18 9:15am – 12:45am): Today is MRA day of the brain! This attack started once I was already in the machine, but before testing actually began. I felt anxious for some reason, which was strange to me because over the years I’ve had countless MRI’s with no anxiety whatsoever. My left side was in a lot of pain, but I could move around well enough. After the MRA I went with my sister to her office and stayed with her. She works in downtown Fayetteville, NC with lots of shops and restaurants. Around lunchtime, we decided to walk about a block down to check out a DTG printing company to get prices on shirts and printing for www.AchySmile.Shop. During this short walk, I started feeling pain along my left side again and a throbbing headache in my left temple. I was still pretty mobile, so I just asked my sister to slow down while we walked by towards her office to a restaurant next door. By the end of lunch, all my symptoms had subsided.
Attack #4 (09/05/18 2:50am – 11:43pm): This morning’s MRA and afternoon walking might have been the precursor to this longer lasting attack. I was hit with a mild hemiplegic migraine attack while sitting in my sister’s truck. I had mild altered consciousness for just under a minute as well. We were parked at a pharmacy and by the time she returned to the truck I needed to go home so I could just rest. I stayed in bed the rest of the day in pain.
Attack #5 (09/06/18 7:00am – 09/07/18 6:30am): This attack had to have started in my sleep because when my alarm rang at 7:00 am I was in full migraine-mode. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take any abortive meds because my Aimovig injections were supposed to arrive and I am required to answer the door and sign for it. Even more unfortunate, they never came!!! I waited until 6:30 pm and decided to take a Flexeril since my muscles were screaming in pain and I had a feeling it was making the attack worse than it needed to be. It didn’t work. Ugh. I woke up the next morning with no pain, so I know at some point during sleep it finally subsided.
Side Effects
No side effects noted.
Week 10 Wrap-Up
I had a busy week and the migraine attacks that accompanied these busy days bummed me out. I’m not quite sure why I was so susceptible to attacks this week since the medication should be built up pretty strongly by now. Maybe something else is going on? Hopefully, Week 11 will be much better!
Week 11 Update (as of 13 September 2018)
So, remember in Week 10 when I said I didn’t know why I was having such a tough time with triggers? I think I know now. Hurricane Florence is coming!!! While she doesn’t actually arrive until Week 12, the lead up is killing my body and Aimovig is no match. Day 1 of Week 11 is the beginning of what turns out to be a week-long attack. I haven’t been bed-bound for this long in months and I almost forgot what it felt like. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. I don’t want that life back. It’s best explained attack by attack, so I’ll just move on to the Attack descriptions.
Migraine Attacks
Attack #1 (09/07/18 8:06am – 09/09/18 7:23am): This morning I got up to make breakfast for my kids. When I got up, I didn’t have head pain, but I did have joint pain when walking around and I felt fatigued, like I didn’t sleep. I didn’t last very long staying upright and was back in bed. Needless to say, they didn’t get breakfast this morning. Thankfully, my kids have early lunch and they told me they weren’t hungry anyway. Gotta love em’, even when they lie to make me feel better! Around 11 am I was still dealing with body pain, but I had a Neuro appointment scheduled to discuss my back pain from a herniated disc. By the time we were done there, my pain had slightly increased, but I was still pretty mobile. I wasn’t bed-bound, but I did rest a lot on my couch. The next morning pain was still there, but very mild. Though, as the morning progressed, I started to have headache pain, but no more body pain. Side note: I started Namenda today. My migraine Neuro started me on it for Hemiplegic Migraine. Crossing my fingers!!!! I fell asleep with headache pain. On the third day, I woke up pain-free and ended the attack in my tracker.
Attack #2 (09/09/18 10:07am – 09/15/18 8:00am): This morning I woke up pain-free and with good energy. I was happy because I had migraine attacks all weekend. It was a good way to start a Sunday. I decided to do some light housework since I didn’t do any at all over the last few days. I cleaned up littered trash from the table and counters in the kitchen. I had a tug of war battle trying to stuff old shipping boxes into an empty, standard sized trash bad!!! I realize I should have had my son do this for me, but I have my stubborn moments. Plus, I felt great and didn’t think anything of it. I carried a load of towels from the dryer to my bedroom and began to fold them. I think I only got through 3 towels before I had to stop. The muscles all along my left side starting hurting, my leg eye felt enlarged and painful, I had pain in my teeth on the left side of my face, and my left temple was throbbing so fast. A few minutes later my pain level increased and I was bed-bound again. I did take some pain medication to try to bring it down, and while it did come down, it wasn’t much. The next day, and well into the evening, my pain finally decreased to around a 3, but other symptoms like dizziness and fatigue were still strong. I was still bed-bound. I also had bouts of nausea on Day 2 of this attack, which was relieved by my migraine cocktail. I reported very mild chest pain after showering as well. On Day 3, 9/11, my pain isn’t much of an issue, but I am having tons of brainstem aura, like altered consciousness, vertigo, and aphasia whenever I do too much activity. I had started dinner, but Marissa had to finish it. I spent my day in bed, again. Day 4 through Day 6 were spent in bed and doing what I could to prepare and evacuate for Hurricane Florence. We didn’t go far, but we did have to stay with my sister for almost a week because we lost power the first day Fayetteville began to have bad weather. We left on 9/13 and couldn’t return until 9/19. I took pain meds, migraine cocktails, muscle relaxers just to get through. On Day 7, 9/15, I woke up with no pain!! Halleluja!!!
Side Effects
If I had any side effects, I had no idea. This week was crazy full of pain and hurricane!
Week 11 Wrap-Up
I know for a fact I am not made for hurricanes and tropical weather!! Weird thing is, I was almost completely fine shortly after Hurricane Florence actually hit and through the actual storm in Fayetteville. I had pain on Day 1, but I wasn’t bedbound anymore. I did take moments to load up on meds and sleep when it was strengthening, but otherwise, I was good. I was even in the news in my hometown! We Facetimed with a news reporter and made the evening report. All I know is, Aimovig is no match for a hurricane, at least not yet!
Week 12 Update (as of 20 September 2018)
This week is REALLY easy!!! My last Week 11 attack didn’t actually end until the 15th, which is part of Week 12, so I’ve already described it above. I won’t bore you with the same details. You can see the stats in the log and stats below if you feel the need. I don’t even have any other attacks to report!! What???!!! It’s crazy! I went from having a week-long attack to no attacks for 5 days straight. It is a glorious Week 12. The end.
Not really! So yes, I did not have any more attacks after the hurricane. We spent those days dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Florence and getting back into our home. We are also preparing to leave for Atlanta, GA in the morning because Marissa turns 18 and she wants to visit the Georgia Aquarium. I’m hoping to get some time at Coca-Cola World too!!! So lots going on and hopefully when I do the Month 4 update in a few weeks I’ll have good news with less attacks and a higher trigger threshold. That’s my prayer!
What Now?
Thank you so much for reading Month 3 in my Aimovig adventure! I really hope this has helped you understand that this CGRP inhibitor is not perfect, but it has given me so many wonderful days. I went from having migraine attacks about 7 days a week down to 3 or 4 a week. Week 12 has been my best week by far, with 5 migraine-free days in a row. Now, please understand, just because I don’t have a migraine attack doesn’t mean my days are 100% pain-free. I also have other pain conditions that also play a role in my daily abilities, but those are not counted.
This is the end of weekly updates. I am still tracking daily and will provide monthly updates at this point. Charts and logs will still be part of those posts as well! I’m very fond of them. Ha! I’m so intrigued to see what happens in the coming months. So stay tuned!
Migraine Log
Month 1 Migraine Log
Month 2 Migraine Log
I use Migraine Buddy to track my attacks pretty consistently. Below is a table showing up-to-date data as of September 20, 2018. Keep in mind, on some nights I fall asleep with an active attack and wake up attack free. The counter counts the next morning since I don’t END the migraine attack until I actually wake up the next day.
The top portion of the table above, in the greyed-out rows, shows each month, March through June. These months are pre-Aimovig injection. July to the Present is post-Aimovig injection. The table reflects the following data within the given time period in the first column:
- Number of Days
- Number of Migraine Attacks
- Number of Attack Days
- Number of Attack-Free Days
- Average Attack Duration
- Average Pain Intensity
- Minimum Pain Intensity
- Maximum Pain Intensity
Migraine Stats
Month 1 Migraine Stats
Month 2 Migraine Stats
I’ve included screen captures from the Migraine Buddy app installed on my phone. This is the raw data captured by the app and created into nifty charts to share with doctors, and you of course! This data should coincide with the numbers you see in the table above. Also, I’ve added [**] marks next to the stats that are updated as of September 20, 2018. Look for these each week to see what’s new.
Pain Intensity Chart 
March 2018 
April 2018 
May 2018 
June 2018 
July 2018 
August 2018 
**September 2018 
Migraine Buddy 
March 2018 Stats 
April 2018 Stats 
May 2018 Stats 
June 2018 Stats 
July 2018 Stats 
August 2018 Stats 
9th Wk Post Shot: 08/24/18 – 08/30/18 Stats 
**10th Wk Post Shot: 08/31/18 – 09/06/18 Stats 
**11th Wk Post Shot: 09/07/18 – 13/06/18 Stats 
**12th Wk Post Shot: 09/14/18 – 09/20/18 Stats 
Migraine Buddy 
Migraine Buddy
Disclaimer: I am a former Amgen and Novartis Spokesperson. This content reflects my own personal opinions and was not created or reviewed by Amgen and Novartis. I was not paid to write this article.
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, if you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission.
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